Meet the team - Daniel Rutter
Stepping out for the Royal Navy Rugby Union for the first time this season is fly half Daniel Rutter. At twenty one years of age he joined the Royal Navy in July of this year and couldn't wait to get his hands on a rugby ball. Nicknamed 'Rutts' he is currently doing his phase 2 professional training course at HMS Sultan as an air engineering technician.
His rugby playing career started at the age of ten in his home town of Redruth in Cornwall and he quickly found success the following year in the Under 15 category, reaching the finals of the Daily Mail Cup competition. Daniel also found time to play the 7s variant of the game and was an All England 7s Champion in the same year!
Since then he has represented his county, Cornwall, at U16, U18 and U20 level, and been selected for the South West Division U18 and U20 teams. He has remained loyal to his home town, playing regular team rugby for the Redruth 1st XV.
He has made time outside his professional training to represent the RNRU Under 23s in their warm up matches against Cambridge University LX, Dorset and Wiltshire U23s, London Scottish Academy and the Exeter Chiefs Outreach team. This week he should win his first cap for the Royal Navy U23s against the Royal Air Force at RAF Halton on Wednesday 22 November.
Want to know how Daniel keeps his fine physique? Well he puts it all down to his diet - he is known to be partial to a Nandos' chicken supper. And when he isn't at work or on the rugby pitch he enjoys travelling around Europe with his partner, Lauren.
We will all join with Lauren this week in wishing Rutts and the rest of the U23 squad all the best in their opening match of the Inter Service competition against the RAF, kick off 1400 Wednesday.
Images Royal Navy Rugby Union © John Walton, Mark Andrews and Keith Woodland